LAS VEGAS — Austin Boyd’s path to the middle of UNLV’s offensive line did not start there. He worked primarily at left guard while making three starts as a freshman in 2023, started at right guard against Utah State the following season and then became the Rebels’ starting right tackle in 2025. Saturday against Memphis, center is expected to become the fourth position where Boyd has started during his UNLV career.
Boyd started 13 of 14 games at right tackle last season and earned honorable mention All-Mountain West recognition, but his move inside this spring changed the scope of his responsibility. Instead of worrying primarily about the defender across from him, he now has to identify fronts, communicate protections, handle the snap and make sure an offensive line that spent much of fall camp moving players between positions operates as one group.
“I’m the quarterback up front,” Boyd said during fall camp. “I gotta get everyone on the same page.”
That description carries more weight considering how much of the offensive line Boyd has already seen. His progression has taken him from left guard to right guard, then right tackle and now center, giving him experience with how the same protection or run concept looks from multiple places across the formation. That background is part of what UNLV is counting on as it replaces several pieces from last season’s line.
The move to center has required more than shifting a few feet inside. Boyd already understood how to block at the college level, but the position asks him to process the entire front before the snap and communicate what he sees to everyone around him.
“I definitely feel like I’m processing things a lot faster, obviously making that transition to center,” Boyd said. “Just understanding the offense as a whole. I gotta get everyone on the same page.”
Offensive line coach Louie Addazio pointed to Boyd’s experience and communication as reasons UNLV could trust him with that responsibility.
“Austin’s a really smart guy,” Addazio said. “He’s a great, just very definitive, direct guy in the middle, pointing stuff out, especially in protection. He’s smart, he can identify it, and that gives great stability to the middle of our pocket.”
There is evidence behind the coaching praise. Boyd handled 88 snaps at right tackle in UNLV’s win over Miami (Ohio) last season and received a 74.1 grade from Pro Football Focus, the second-highest offensive grade among Rebels who played at least 15 snaps in the game. That performance came at the position where Boyd spent most of 2025 before UNLV decided his experience could be more valuable in the middle.
The move has also elevated Boyd’s profile entering his senior season. He was named to the Outland Trophy watch list and earned preseason All-Mountain West recognition at center after establishing himself as one of the most experienced players on UNLV’s offense.
That experience matters because the rest of the line has not remained static. UNLV spent camp searching for its best combination rather than locking every veteran into one position. Will Thomas has worked at both tackle spots, while Jackson Brown moved outside after beginning his UNLV career at guard. Colton Thomasson, BJ Tolo, Griffin Scroggs and others have also competed for work inside.
Addazio said the movement was intentional. His priority has been identifying the best five offensive linemen and then determining how they fit together instead of allowing positional labels to dictate the lineup.
“You’re always looking to put the best five on the field,” Addazio said. “I’m a big believer in make it work to get the best five guys on the field.”
Boyd has become the piece in the middle responsible for helping those combinations function. He also takes over for Reid Williams, who started every game at center last season, meaning UNLV is replacing the player who previously handled much of the communication before the snap while simultaneously moving several pieces around him.
Addazio refers to the center as the “apex” of the offensive line because the responsibilities go far beyond snapping the football. Boyd’s position history gives him a perspective most centers do not have because he has played on both sides of the interior and spent an entire season dealing with edge rushers at tackle.
“We lead everyone,” Boyd said. “As far as the center goes and the O-line goes, that’s as far as our team will go.”
That leadership role fits the identity Addazio has tried to establish throughout the offensive line. The group calls itself “The Room,” a phrase that has grown beyond the actual meeting space and into the standard the linemen use for how they prepare and operate together.
“Our meeting room is special,” Addazio said. “We call it The Room. We meet in The Room. We take care of The Room. Every time we break it down, we break it down on The Room, and that’s our identity.”
Boyd described the same idea from the player side. UNLV could spend camp moving linemen between positions and testing combinations, but the five players who take the field Saturday cannot play like a group still trying to determine where everyone belongs.
“It’s all about a mentality, a mindset,” Boyd said. “We’re a unit. We stick together. Everything starts and ends with us up front.”
Boyd has also been clear about what that identity should look like once the ball is snapped. UNLV wants to be physical, create movement in the running game and finish plays instead of simply getting bodies into the correct position.
“I know we’re a big, physical offensive line, and we can run the ball really well,” Boyd said Monday. “I think one thing this year we really emphasize is finishing every play, that finish mentality. So I think we’re a big, physical unit up front.”
The running game gives UNLV an obvious place to establish that identity. Jai’Den “Jet” Thomas returns after rushing for 1,036 yards and 12 touchdowns while averaging 7 yards per carry last season, giving the rebuilt line a proven runner behind it as the Rebels try to establish the line of scrimmage early.
Addazio has used similar language throughout the offseason when describing what he expects from the group. The responsibility, in his view, begins with the offensive line regardless of whether UNLV is trying to establish the run or protect the quarterback.
“It all starts up front,” Addazio said. “We gotta be the tip of the spear. We gotta accelerate this thing. Throw, run, doesn’t matter. It starts with us.”
That responsibility becomes more complicated because UNLV plans to use both Jackson Arnold and Alex Orji at quarterback. Dan Mullen confirmed Monday that both will play against Memphis, although he has not said how the snaps will be divided.
For Boyd, that means working with two quarterbacks who have different cadences and rhythms while making sure the changes behind him do not affect the other four linemen. The preparation has required extra work because the connection between the quarterback and center cannot change every time Mullen changes personnel.
“They’ve both done a really good job,” Boyd said Monday. “They’ve done a good job with me because obviously I’m snapping the ball. Everyone’s got a little bit different cadence, a little bit different rhythm. And they’ve done a good job getting with me before and after practice, getting those reps in and they both bring a lot to the table.”
The offense cannot need a reset every time Arnold replaces Orji or Orji replaces Arnold. Boyd still has to identify the front, communicate the protection and make sure the line is ready to operate at whatever tempo Mullen wants. His responsibility is to make the quarterback rotation feel routine rather than allowing it to disrupt the players around him.
Boyd’s experience at several positions should help with that adjustment. He has already learned how protections and run concepts change depending on where he is aligned. At center, he is responsible for making sure everyone else understands the same picture before the ball is snapped.
The offensive line will also be central to another priority entering the opener: eliminating the slow starts that hurt UNLV at times last season. The Rebels scored fewer points in the first quarter than in any other period in 2025, putting additional emphasis on establishing the offense earlier against Memphis.
Boyd said that work started long before game week. UNLV emphasized starting quickly throughout camp and during its scrimmages instead of waiting until the opener arrived to address it.
“We’ve emphasized starting fast, starting fast in practice, starting fast in scrimmages and starting fast Week 1 against Memphis,” Boyd said. “That’s been a little bit more of an emphasis throughout camp.”
Saturday will provide the first real measure of whether the experimentation and movement across the line produced the group Addazio wanted. Boyd is expected to make his first UNLV start at center after previously starting at both guard spots and right tackle, with a rebuilt line beside him and two quarterbacks expected to rotate behind him.
For all the moving pieces UNLV worked through during camp, Boyd’s assignment has become straightforward. He has to get the protection communicated, handle the snap and make sure five offensive linemen play with the same understanding and physicality once the ball moves.
The Rebels spent the offseason searching for their best five. Boyd’s job now is making those five operate like one.
UNLV and Memphis will kick off at 7:10 p.m. Saturday at Allegiant Stadium. The game will be televised nationally on FOX.
